Moonstone is another of those crystals (like fluorite) that is actually a bunch of different stones – well, different in appearance, anyway. They can have wildly different appearances – rainbow moonstone, peach moonstone, black moonstone, regular moonstone and others. What makes them all “moonstones” is that they are geologically what is known as orthoclase feldspars. They are quite common and can be found in the US, Canada, Switzerland, Norway – but they are most commonly found in Madagascar. Moonstones – especially the ones with a blue sheen – are also known as “adularia”. This is because they have been commonly found on Mount Adular, in Switzerland. This is also the source for the name of the sparkly sheen that you see, especially on blue or clear moonstones – it is known as “adularescence”, which is a truly fabulous word.

As the name suggests, these stones are associated with romance, intuition, divine feminine, empathy and dreaming. Moonstones are also known as a stone that can help you dream new dreams and bring new beginnings into your life. 

Moonstone has been used to help develop clairvoyance (or clair-anything, really) and psychic abilities. It can help to balance masculine and feminine energies, but to ensure that the divine feminine is not neglected or forgotten. 

It can help to calm emotional instability and to stabilise emotions when they are out of whack. It can help us to remember empathy and to look at things from the perspective of emotional intelligence, rather than purely from reason. 

Most stones like a bit of a charge under the full moon, but moonstones in particularly really benefit from it. I feel like they get “tired” as the lunar cycle wanes, so they may need to be charged with reiki or white light at these times (or given a rest!). 

Although I have a goofy habit of wearing moonstones around the full moon, some women may find that their energy is “too much” at this time – if you find yourself getting over emotional, or feeling the emotions of others, it might be time to swap out your moonstones for something more grounding. 

What’s your favourite moonstone? How do you like to use it?